GARDINER EXPRESSWAY TORONTO, CANADA

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GARDINER EXPRESSWAY TORONTO, CANADA

LONGUEUR DU TRACÉ 2,4 km RÉALISATION

MAÎTRISE D’OUVRAGE Waterfront Toronto et Ville de Toronto

CAPACITÉ DU RÉSEAU

TRANSIT APPROXIMATIF 120 000 véhicules / jour entre les rues Jarvis et Leslie

CONTEXTE DE RÉALISATION

1955-1966 Construction de la Gardiner Expressway.

La Gardiner Expressway est un axe majeur du réseau routier métropolitain de Toronto (seul axe est-ouest). Elle relie le centre-ville de Toronto à ses banlieues ouest en longeant le lac Ontario. À sa construction, la Gardiner Expressway traversait des zones industrielles, pour la plupart reconverties depuis en secteurs résidentiels. Cette voie express s’étend sur près de 20 km depuis l’autoroute 427 et la Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) à l’ouest jusqu’au Don Valley Parkway à l’est au niveau de l’embouchure de la rivière Don.

À niveau sur la majeure partie de son parcours, la Gardiner Expressway est surélevée à partir de la rue Dufferin jusqu’au Don Valley Parkway. À l’est de la rue Bathurst, elle est aménagée au dessus du boulevard LakeShore. La construction de cette section surélevée a nécessité la reconfiguration complète du boulevard. La Gardiner Expressway est composée de 2 x 3 voies, 2 x 4 voies ou 2 x 5 voies selon les sections.

L’extrémité est de la Gardiner, depuis la rue Jarvis jusqu’au Don Valley Parkway, est la portion la moins empruntée de la voie express; environ 120 000 véhicules y circulent chaque jour contre environ 200 000 véhicules pour la section située à l’ouest du centre-ville.

La Gardiner Expressway appartient et est gérée par la Ville de Toronto. Les coûts engagés chaque année par la Ville pour son entretien s’élèvent de 6 à 10 millions.

1987 Réalisation par la Ville de Toronto d’une étude sur la transformation des rampes de la voie express Gardiner situées en centre-ville. À ce jour, seule la rampe reliant la rue Yonge sud à la Gardiner Expressway est a été démolie.

1990 Après 30 ans d’utilisation, observation du vieillissement de la structure surélevée de la Gardiner Expressway (corrosion due au sel, manque d’étanchéité des joints de dilatation, etc.) et des coûts élevés que son entretien suppose.

La Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront (Commission

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Crombie) suggère la démolition de la section surélevée de la voie express et son remplacement par un réseau de tunnels et de voies de surface.

Fermeture temporaire de la section surélevée de la Gardiner Expressway pour rénovation.

1996 Engagement des études préalables pour la démolition des 1,3 km de la voie express compris entre la rue Bouchette et la rue Leslie à l’est de la Don River.

Mis en évidence que la démolition de cette portion (34 millions de dollars) est financièrement plus avantageuse que sa rénovation (48 millions de dollars).

1999 Le Conseil municipal de Toronto approuve la démolition de cette section

surélevée de la voie express et le réaménagement du boulevard LakeShore situé sous la structure de la Gardiner. Le réaménagement du boulevard vise

l’amélioration des conditions de circulation (plus grande capacité) et la

reconfiguration de cet axe incluant l’intégration de pistes cyclables, de nouveaux aménagements paysagers et de projets d’art public.

2001 Démolition de la section de la Gardiner comprise entre les rues Bouchette et Leslie pour un coût de 38 millions de dollars.

Proposition du Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Task Force du remplacement du reste de la structure surélevée de la voie express

Le Waterfront Toronto (alors appelé le Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation) devient maître d’ouvrage du projet de revitalisation des rives de la ville.

2003 À la demande de la Ville de Toronto, examen par le Waterfront Toronto de diverses options de reconfiguration de la Gardiner Expressway et du LakeShore Corridor pour stimuler la revitalisation des rives de Toronto.

2004 Le Waterfront Toronto engage la réalisation de deux études sur la faisabilité et les impacts de la transformation de la section surélevée de la voie express. La première (Microsimulation of the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Plan) présente trois options : le remplacement, la transformation et la « Great Street ». La seconde (Constructability, Structural Engineering Feasibility and Cost Study for the Gardiner Expressway / LakeShore Boulevard Options) comprend quatre options et des estimations de coûts.

2006 Waterfront Toronto présente quatre des options de transformation de la structure surélevée de la voie express à la Ville de Toronto et recommande la réalisation de l’option de « Great Street » depuis l’avenue Spadina jusqu’à la Don River (centre-ville).

Cette option de « Great Street » rencontre des oppositions. La capacité combinée de la voie express et du boulevard LakeShore est de 12 voies de circulation, alors que le scénario envisagé n’en propose que 10. La réalisation de ce scénario risquerait d’augmenter les problèmes de congestion. Le fait qu’il est également moins évident pour un piéton de traverser 10 voies de circulation que de traverser le boulevard en passant sous la structure surélevée de la voie express est un autre argument contre la démolition de la voie express.

2007 Engagement par la Ville de Toronto d’études complémentaires pour l’élaboration de scénarios alternatifs moins couteux que les solutions préalablement

proposées. Ces scénarios alternatifs comprennent notamment la démolition de la section moins empruntée de la voie express de la rue Jarvis jusqu’à la Don

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Valley Parkway.

Suite à la mise en commun des travaux de la Ville de Toronto et du Waterfront Toronto, développement du scénario de démolition partielle de la section est de la voie express.

15 JUIN 2008 Approbation par le Conseil municipal de Toronto de l’engagement d’une étude de faisabilité et d’évaluation environnementale sur la démolition de la section surélevée de la voie express, conduite conjointement par le Waterfront Toronto et la Ville de Toronto.

MARS 2009 Organisation de consultations publiques

DESCRIPTION DU PROJET

RÔLE Revitalisation des rives du lac Ontario de la Ville de Toronto COMPOSITION Le projet comprend les éléments suivants :

- La démolition de la section concernée de la Gardiner Expressway et son remplacement par un boulevard urbain

- Le réaménagement du boulevard Queens Quay en un grand boulevard urbain de calibre international

- Le développement des rives

TYPE DE STRUCTURE Remplacement d’une voie express surélevée par un boulevard urbain à niveau DIMENSIONNEMENT - Le boulevard urbain aménagé sous la structure démolie de la voie express

2 X 4 voies de circulation - Le boulevard Queens Quay

structuration du boulevard en de deux sections : voies de circulation routière au nord et espace piétonnier au sud;

deux options sont actuellement discutées : 2 X 1 voies de circulation ou 2 X 3 voies.

LIAISONS Portion de la Gardiner Expressway comprise entre la rue Jarvis et le Don Valley Parkway.

PARTICULARITÉS DU PROJET

- Projet piloté conjointement par la Ville de Toronto et Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation, structure de projet créée pour l’occasion

- Projet développé selon les critères LEED for Neighbourhood Development : demande de certification pour l’étape 1 (stage 1) récemment déposée au US Green Building Council. La réponse est attendue en mai 2009; l’objectif visé étant la certification or du projet.

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MISE EN OEUVRE

- Le démantèlement de la portion est de la Gardiner Expressway comprise entre la rue Jarvis et le Don Valley Parkway pourrait prendre trois ou quatre ans; la construction du boulevard étant évaluée à trois ou quatre ans supplémentaires.

SOURCES

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardiner_Expressway - http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/index.php?home=true

Gardiner Expressway Fact Sheet

The Gardiner Expressway was named after the first chair of the former Metro Council, Frederick G. Gardiner who was a strong advocate for the project.

Construction on the Gardiner began in 1956. It was built in segments and completed in 1965 at a cost of approximately $103 million.

Designed to provide the city with goods and materials, it was built when Toronto’s downtown waterfront was largely a heavy industrial area.

The expressway route necessitated the complete reconfiguration of Lakeshore Boulevard through the central downtown to allow the elevated eight lanes to be built above it.

The Gardiner runs for about 20 kilometres from the foot of Highway 427 and the Queen Elizabeth Way in the west to the Don Valley Parkway in the east.

The east end of the Gardiner, from Jarvis Street to the Don Valley Parkway, is the least congested stretch of the expressway.

The Gardiner carries approximately 200,000 vehicles per day west of the downtown core, and approximately 120,000 vehicles per day east of Jarvis Street.

It costs the City $6-10 million annually for repairs to the Gardiner.

Timeline of Key Events

1987 The City of Toronto completed a comprehensive study of potential modifications to the Gardiner Expressway ramps in the downtown area, titled the Central Bayfront Ramp Study. To date, only the removal of the southbound Yonge Street to eastbound Gardiner Expressway ramp has been implemented.

1990 The Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront also known as the Crombie Commission, suggested the removal of the entire elevated Gardiner Expressway and its replacement with a network of tunnels and surface roads.

1996 Planning and an environmental assessment process began for the removal of the 1.3 km

section of the Gardiner Expressway east of the Don River, between Bouchette Street

and Leslie Street.

1999 Toronto City Council voted to demolish the elevated section of the Gardiner Expressway East, and replace it with an improved and higher-capacity Lake Shore Boulevard East that would include bicycle lanes, landscaping, and a public art project.

2001 The removal of the 1.3 km section of the Gardiner Expressway East of the Don River, between Bouchette Street and Leslie Street was completed at the cost of $38 million.

The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Task Force also known as the Fung Task Force proposed that the rest of the elevated Gardiner Expressway be replaced. Waterfront Toronto (then called the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation) was established to lead the revitalization of Toronto’s waterfront.

2003 The City of Toronto requested that Waterfront Toronto examine options for the reconfiguration of the Gardiner/Lake Shore corridor to stimulate waterfront revitalization.

2004 Waterfront Toronto commissioned two reports on the impact of taking down the elevated Gardiner Expressway. The first report Microsimulation of the Toronto

Waterfront Revitalization Plan report presented three possible options for the Gardiner - Replacement; Transformation; and Great Street. A second report Constructability, Structural Engineering Feasibility and Cost Study for the Gardiner Expressway/Lake Shore Boulevard Options included four options and cost estimates.

2006 Waterfront Toronto presented four options to the City for review. Waterfront Toronto recommended that the Great Street model from Spadina Avenue to the Don River be approved.

2007 The City conducted an internal due diligence process. As part of that process, the City began studying other scenarios that might be achieved at a lower cost, such as removing the least-used segment of the expressway from Jarvis Street to the Don Valley Parkway only. After a joint Waterfront Toronto and City analysis, the current “Partial Take- Down” proposal for the eastern section of the Gardiner Expressway was developed.

2008 On June 12, the Waterfront Toronto board passed a resolution to propose that Waterfront Toronto and the City jointly undertake an individual environmental assessment on removing part of the elevated Gardiner Expressway.

On July 15 - Toronto City Council approved Waterfront Toronto’s proposal to

undertake an individual environmental assessment on removing part of the elevated

Gardiner Expressway.

Gardiner Expressway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, known locally as "the Gardiner", is an expressway connecting downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada with its western suburbs. Running in close proximity to the shore of Lake Ontario, it now extends from the junction of Highway 427 and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) in the west to the foot of the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) in the east, just past the mouth of the Don River. East of Dufferin Street, the roadway is elevated, running above Lake Shore Boulevard east of Bathurst Street.

It is named for the first chair of the now-defunct Metro Council, Frederick G. Gardiner, who championed the project and the Don Valley

Parkway. The six-lane section east of the Humber River was built in segments from 1955 until 1964 by the Metropolitan Toronto

government with provincial highway funds. The ten-lane section west of the Humber was formerly part of the QEW provincial highway. The Gardiner Expressway is now wholly owned and operated by the City of Toronto.

When the Gardiner was built, it passed through industrial lands, now mostly converted to residential lands. Since the early 1990s, when extensive repairs became necessary, the Gardiner has been the subject of several proposals to demolish it or move it underground as part of downtown waterfront revitalization efforts. One elevated section was demolished in 2001, and a current study is underway to demolish that part of the elevated section east of Jarvis Street.

Gardiner Expressway

Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway Formed: 1955 - completed

Direction: East/West Map (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=QEW+%

26+Gardiner+Expy,+Etobicoke,+Toronto,+Ontario+M8W,+Canada&daddr=Lake+Shore+Blvd+E+%

26+Gardiner+Expy+Toronto,+ON&mrcr=0&mra=pe&sll=43.631602,- 79.447632&sspn=0.104367,0.233459&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1) From: Toronto, Ontario

To: Toronto, Ontario Major

cities:

Toronto, Ontario

Gardiner Expressway heading into downtown Toronto from the west.

A trailblazer for the Gardiner Expressway on Yonge Street.

Contents

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History

Planning

The Gardiner Expressway was one of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed government of Metro Toronto. Plans for the highway, first named the Lakeshore Expressway were first developed prior to the formation of Metro Toronto. The route of the Expressway necessitated the paving over of

parkland, demolition of a popular amusement park, residential demolition and a long elevated section to get through the downtown area. In the post-war period, the population of greater Toronto was growing at a rate of 50,000 persons per year

, the ownership of private automobiles was growing, and the traffic between downtown Toronto and the western suburbs was regularly stuck in 'traffic jams.' (The

Sunnyside stretch of the Lake Shore Boulevard and Queen and King Streets in the Parkdale-High Park area were apparently notorious for this.) Another reason for the proposal to build the lakeshore highway was the expected opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the need for adequate roadways to serve the expanded port facilities.

In May 1947, the Toronto's City Planning Board proposed building a four-lane "Waterfront Highway"

from the Humber to the Don River.

In November 1947, the City's works committee approved a four-lane highway, following a path beside the rail lines along the north of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) lands, ending at Fleet Street to the East at a cost of $6 million, to be approved by a a plebiscite.

The Toronto Board of Control approved the plan, but City Council voted against the plan after 11 hours of deliberation, sending it back to the Board of Control.

1 History

1.1 Planning

1.2 Construction

1.3 From completion to the present

1.4 Closures

2 Redevelopment proposals

2.1 Demolition proposals

2.2 Replacement proposals

3 Description

3.1 Communities along the Gardiner

3.2 Elevated Section Design

3.3 Bridges, Underpasses and Overpasses

3.4 Former QEW segment

3.5 Lane configurations from east to west

3.6 Exit list

3.7 Traffic volume

3.8 Call boxes

3.9 Lighting

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

1947 plan

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In December 1947, the Board of Control abandoned the plan, on advice that the bridges for the highway would not be built due to a shortage of steel.

In July 1953, prior to Metro Toronto coming into being, the Metropolitan Executive Committee, chaired by Fred Gardiner, ordered the planning of the Lakeshore Expressway as a four or six-lane expressway from the Humber in the west to Woodbine Avenue in the east. The cost was estimated at $20 million dollars.

Route planning was given to the engineering firm Margison Babcock and Associates, with the proviso that an American firm expert in expressway building would be involved. Margison's plan was delivered in April 1954. The roadway was to be constructed in the Sunnyside area and CNE areas to the south of the present Lake Shore Boulevard. In the CNE area, the route would be on lands created from infilling of the shoreline to the breakwaters and an interchange was proposed in front of the Prince's Gate. East of the CNE the highway would be an elevated roadway above the existing Fleet Street, to just west of the Don River. The highway proceeded at grade for there east, ending at Coxwell Avenue and Queen Street East. Interchanges were proposed for Jameson Avenue, Strachan Avenue, Spadina Avenue, York Street, Jarvis Street, Don Roadway, Carlaw, Keating (the present Lake Shore Boulevard East) and Coxwell Avenue. The cost was then estimated at $50 million. The plan also proposed

extending Queen Street westwards through High Park to west of the Humber to connect with 'The Queensway' and extending Keating Avenue east to Woodbine Avenue.

The shoreline route was opposed by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Harbour Commission and Margison was tasked with plotting a route north of the CNE grounds. This plan was delivered in July 1954.

The change to an inland route north of the CNE was estimated to cost another $11 million as the homes to the west of the CNE grounds would have to be purchased and demolished.

This route moved the route from the Humber to the Ontario Hydro right-of-way next to the railway tracks, saving 11 acres (45,000 m

) of waterfront. The expressway was moved to the north of the Lake Shore

Boulevard in the Sunnyside segment and the Jameson Avenue area.

The inland route, while not opposed in the Sunnyside and Jameson areas, faced opposition in its proposed route in the CNE to downtown segment. Alternate route proposals emerged in 1954 from the Toronto Harbour Commission, which wanted the route moved further north and planner Edwin Kay, who proposed a tunnel through downtown.

The decision was then made to proceed with the non- contentious parts of the original Margison plan, to build a new Humber bridge to connect with the QEW, the Queen Street extension, and the Humber River to Dowling section, demolishing Sunnyside Park and South Parkdale. Metro also approved the eastern section of the expressway from Sherbourne Street to the east, but the central, elevated section was left for further deliberation. Metro approved $31 million for the eastern and western sections in its 1955 budget

, but omitted the Humber River bridge.

The route to the north of the CNE followed a Hydro right-of-way beside the railway tracks to the north of the Exhibition, using approximately 10 acres (40,000 m

) of CNE land, the removal of the original Dufferin Gate, and the demolition of two other CNE buildings. To make up for the loss of lands, Metro infilled into Lake Ontario to the breakwater.

East of the CNE, the inland route proposed to fly over Fort York with a westbound on-ramp from Bathurst Street directly over the fort. Opposition from historical societies and the City of Toronto, came to a head when the City refused to transfer the land to Metro Toronto. Gardiner himself and George O.

Grant, the Metro Roads Commissioner, at first opposed the re-routing of the highway around the fort as it would mean a "greater than six-degree curve" in the highway, necessitating drivers to slow down.

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from the City and historical societies.

The westbound on-ramp from Bathurst Street was cancelled, and in the end no interchange was built in the area.

Construction

Construction on the expressway began in 1955 with the building of the Queen Street Extension and the Keating Avenue (now Lake Shore Boulevard East) extension to the foot of Woodbine Avenue. The Gardiner was built in segments, with the final section being completed in 1966. The cost was

approximately $110 million Canadian or approximately $700 million in 2006 dollars. The first part of the actual Expressway built was the Humber River bridge and the Humber to Jameson segment followed, started in 1956.

Humber River to Jameson Avenue

Humber River to Jameson Avenue was completed in 1958. The expressway, by then named the Gardiner Expressway, was officially opened by Gardiner and Ontario Premier Leslie Frost on August 8, 1958.

The route of the Expressway around Humber Bay necessitated the demolition of the Sunnyside

Amusement Park on the lakeshore, which had existed since 1925. Some amusements were moved to the CNE, others sold off or just destroyed. The carousel was moved to the newly built Disneyland. The Amusement Park lands were subsumed by the Lake Shore Boulevard expansion to six lanes. Only the Sunnyside Pool and Palais Royale hall now exist from that time period. A pedestrian bridge crossing was built from the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue to the Palais Royale site.

The 1800s-era 'South Parkdale' residential neighbourhood at the foot of Jameson Avenue was

demolished in 1957. The Expressway, like the railway just to the north was cut through the area at lake shore level. An interchange was built at Jameson with on and off ramps to the Lakeshore, and Lake Shore Boulevard was expanded to six lanes in the area. This created a pedestrian barrier to the lake shore for Parkdale neighbourhood residents to the north. Efforts were made by community groups over the next twenty years to restore access to the lake shore, including plans to cover the section of the Expressway and railway line did not come to fruition. A pedestrian bridge over Lake Shore Boulevard at the foot of Jameson Avenue was eventually built. Jameson Avenue, which had previously been a street of mansions, saw intense apartment building development after the building of the Expressway.

Jameson Avenue to York Street

Jameson Avenue to York Street was completed in 1962. The elevated section starts from the north-east corner of the CNE. The route to the east of the CNE was modified to avoid passing over historic Fort York. This section was built wider for a possible connection to a highway to connect Highway 400 extension south to downtown, proposed by the Province of Ontario in 1956, which has never been built.

East of Fort York, the Gardiner was built entirely as

an elevated route, through a predominantly The Gardiner Expressway from the Dufferin Street bridge, looking west toward the Jameson

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industrial area, to the south of railway lands to get to the downtown. The roadway was built directly overhead of Fleet Street (Fleet is now called Lake

Shore Boulevard West) through much of this section. The expressway off-ramp to York Street was developed as a two-lane eastbound 'finger' flying over Harbour Street, south of the main roadway, descending to Harbour Street with a circular off-ramp to York Street northbound.

York Street to the Don Valley Parkway

This segment was completed in 1964. In the original proposal, this segment went to the ground with a clover-leaf interchange with the Don Valley Parkway. It was instead constructed as an elevated section that passes over Lake Shore Boulevard and at its eastern end forks into a flyover of the Don River mouth and a separate connector to the east. From the Parkway to Yonge Street, this section was built eight lanes wide.

Don Valley Parkway to Leslie Street

This segment was opened in 1966. It ended just east of Leslie Street, and traffic was forced to exit to an interchange at Leslie Street down to the former Keating Street, which was renamed Lake Shore

Boulevard. The design left the eastern end open for a future connection with the Scarborough Expressway.

Highway 427 to the Humber River

This segment, built as part of the Queen Elizabeth Way by the Province of Ontario was transferred to the Gardiner in about 1998.

From completion to the present

By 1963, the first rooftop billboards along the Expressway were built, targeting the daily 40,000 to 60,000 motorists. Companies paid up to $3,000 per month to locate their billboard.

Today, there are dozens of neon signs, billboards and video boards in the proximity of the Expressway, mostly in the sections between Roncesvalles Avenue to Spadina Avenue and east of Jarvis Street.

In 1968, the speed limit was proposed to be raised to 55 MPH from its-then 50 MPH (today it is

90km/h). At the time, there were already traffic jams and journalists openly questioned whether anyone could reach that top speed with the "horrendous volume of traffic" during peak rush times.

In 1988, the unmaintained grassy hillside in the Sunnyside area from Roncesvalles Avenue to Wilson Park Avenue to the north of the Gardiner was cleaned up and planted with floral logos. The cleanup removed 26 tonnes (26 long tons) of garbage. The advertising, which pays for the

maintenance and cleaning of the hillside, permits no slogans and no alcohol or tobacco logos. The logos are planted yew bushes and are maintained by an independent company on the land, which is owned

Avenue/Dunn Avenue exit.

View of the Expressway, west of downtown Toronto, from the pedestrian overpass at the foot of

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by the Canadian National Railway.

In the late 1980s, Metro Toronto proposed to widen

the Gardiner to eight lanes from Strachan Avenue to the Humber and extend Front Street from Bathurst Street west to connect with the highway.

The widening proposal was never implemented as it depended on funding from the Province of Ontario which never approved the funds. Metro had planned the Front Street extension as part of allowing the Bay-Adelaide office complex and other development downtown to proceed. The Province did approve the Front Street extension, but the then- City of Toronto Council voted against it. The Front Street extension proposal was later resurrected as part of proposals to redevelop or dismantle the central section of the Gardiner.

The old Gardiner and Lake Shore Boulevard bridges over the Humber River, which had been in service since the 1950s, were removed and replaced by new structures in 1998 and 1999. The old bridge pillars, which were resting on soil, not on bedrock, had sunk by a metre, giving the eastbound Gardiner a roller- coaster ride or "Humber hump". The bridges and connecting roadways were replaced at a cost of $100 million. Fatal collisions had occurred at the location, including a 1995 incident where an eastbound Corvette became airborne and collided with vehicles in the westbound lanes.

In the 1990s, after 30 years of usage, the City found that the central elevated section needed extensive repairs, and the ongoing maintenance was expensive. Proposals started to be floated for the demolition of the Expressway. In the end, city council voted to have the elevated section extensively rehabilitated and the elevated section in downtown Toronto was closed down for extensive repairs.

The Don River to Leslie Street built elevated section, intended for connection to the cancelled

Scarborough Expressway was eventually demolished in 2001. Demolition was first proposed in 1990 by the Crombie Commission and the Lake Shore-Gardiner Task Force. The segment was in need of

expensive repairs and a 1996 environmental assessment determined that it would cost $48 million to refurbish the Gardiner from the Don Valley Parkway to Leslie St., but only $34 million to tear it down.

[20]

The final cost of the demolition was $39 million.

Eastbound traffic now exits to a newly

constructed off-ramp that connects with Lake Shore Blvd. East, just west of Carlaw Avenue. In the wake of the eastern demolition, Lake Shore Boulevard East has been revealed from the cover of the highway.

Green boulevards have been implemented along the wide thoroughfare. Paved bicycle paths extend eastward for approximately two kilometres from the Martin Goodman Trail at Cherry Street to Coxwell Avenue. A local artist created a commemorative piece for the demolished elevated expressway out of several of its giant supportive concrete pillars.

Since the highway was initially constructed, no expansion of the roadway has been built. Today,

commuting traffic into and out of the downtown core moves very slowly during the rush hours. This had lead to growth in commuting by other modes. Introduced in the 1960s, the province's GO Transit has increased train frequency and capacity along the Lakeshore route to the point where GO now carries 19% of inbound commuters to downtown, while the Gardiner carries 8%. The TTC carries 47% of commuters and other auto routes account for 26% of inbound traffic, according to 2006 figures.

Closures

Crumbling elevated section

Roncesvalles Avenue. (2004)

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The elevated section was not built to withstand the use of road salt in the winter. The salt created corrosion of the steel within the concrete pillars, which expanded the steel, and caused pieces of concrete to fall off. Remedial work had to be applied starting in the 1990s at a cost of $8 million per year. The remedial work included sealing expansion joints to force the salty water into the drains and extensive patching of the concrete pillars.

Exposed steel was sand-blasted and repainted.

Ice from the CN Tower

On March 5, 2007, a section of the Gardiner Expressway was closed between Spadina Avenue and Jarvis Street due to the threat of ice about the size of a kitchen table falling from the CN tower.

Several days before, a storm with snow and freezing

rain had caused a great deal of ice to accrete on the tower. As the weather warmed and the sun heated the tower's concrete, large pieces of ice began falling off the tower and falling hundreds of metres to the ground below. Although nobody was injured, the Gardiner was closed as a precautionary measure. On March 6, cooler weather reduced the risk of falling ice, and prevailing wind conditions had changed reducing the risks of ice falling onto the highway; the road was reopened subsequently.

Concrete from the Kipling Avenue bridge

On May 3, 2007 at around 7:00 a.m., a chunk of concrete about the size of a loaf of bread fell from the Kipling Avenue bridge onto the Gardiner Expressway. It missed cars and caused no damage, bouncing harmlessly away despite the morning rush hour traffic. City crews were quickly sent to close off lanes of traffic to begin an inspection of the structure, which is a late 1960s post-tensioned design built by the province while it was still part of the QEW. This incident raised fears about safety of the highway, particularly with memories of the recent overpass collapse in Laval, Quebec, still fresh in the minds of motorists and media.

Redevelopment proposals

Starting in the 1990s, several proposals have been made to dismantle or replace the central elevated section. Lack of municipal funds and political will have repeatedly stalled such plans.

In 1991, the Royal Commission On The Future of the Toronto Waterfront released a report entitled

"Report 15: Toronto Central Waterfront Transportation Corridor Study". It determined that the combination of the Gardiner, Lakeshore and railway uses tilted the land use to too much of a corridor use, and impacting negatively on the usage of the area. The report proposed that the City could A) retain or ameliorate; B) replace or C) remove the Expressway. The then-Metro Toronto and City of Toronto governments chose option "A" to retain or ameliorate.

In this overhead view from the CN Tower, the Gardiner Expressway runs from the lower right to

the top centre. The Air Canada Centre is in the centre of the image.

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Demolition proposals

In March 2000, the Toronto Waterfront

Revitalization Task Force proposed burying the section from east of the CNE to Yonge Street, as part of the plans for waterfront revitalization, at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion. The City of Toronto accepted the report in principle and formed the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC), (today's Waterfront Toronto).

In 2004, the TWRC issued a report to the City about possible options for the Gardiner.

It was released to the public in September 2006. It proposed four options:

1. Leave the Gardiner as is, at an annual cost of

$12 million per year

2. Replace the roadway with at-grade or below grade roads at a total cost of $1.475 billion 3. Remove the Lake Shore Boulevard roadway underneath the elevated section and construct

buildings at a cost of $65 million

4. Removing the Gardiner east of Spadina, and expanding Lake Shore Boulevard at a cost of $758 million. This was the TWRC's recommended option.

An overview of the recommended changes:

retain elevated portions from west of Dufferin Street to Spadina Avenue

extend Front Street west of Bathurst to connect with the Gardiner west of Strachan Avenue.

add new on/off ramps to connect with Front Street extension

replace elevated portion from Spadina Avenue to Simcoe Street with 2 five lane roadway (Lake Shore Blvd) separated by landscaped median

replace elevated portion from Simcoe Street to Jarvis Street with 2 five lane roadway (Lake Shore Blvd) separated by city block

replace elevated portion from Jarvis Street to Don River with 2 four lane roadway (Lake Shore Blvd) separated by landscaped median

relocate Don River channel and re-build new ramps onto the Don Valley Parkway with surface roadway (Lake Shore Blvd)

Councillor Jane Pitfield, who was running for Mayor, criticized the proposal, stating that "From the canvassing I have done all over the city, the majority of people say they want the Gardiner to stay where it is."

Suburban councillors Gloria Lindsay Luby and Doug Holyday came out opposed while inner- city councillor Kyle Rae fought for the proposal.

Mayor David Miller did not favour the proposal either, stating that there were other, higher priorities.

The proposal did not come to Council for discussion and vote.

In May 2008, Waterfront Toronto (the former TWRC) proposed the demolition of the segment from Jarvis Street to the Don River and construction of a widened Lake Shore Boulevard in the style of University Avenue at a projected cost of $200 to $300 million. The proposal shelved the previous plan

The eastern most section of the Gardiner that is slated to be demolished

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to demolish the central section and the construction of the Front Street Extension. Waterfront Toronto proposed to get started on the environmental assessment of the demolition, which is expected to take up to five years and cost $10 million.

Councillor Denzil Wong criticized the proposal, pointing out that the city already had a $300 million backlog of road repairs.

Mayor David Miller endorsed the

proposal, noting that the funds for the demolition and the eight- lane boulevard would come from monies saved by not building the Front Street Extension, and money saved on the maintenance of the elevated highway.

In July 2008 City Council voted to proceed with the environmental assessment.

In March 2009, Waterfront Toronto started the environmental assessment consultation process, with open houses and an online consultation web site.

Replacement proposals

In 1996, the Crombie-led Waterfront Trust asked the builders (Canadian Highways International Corp) of the Highway 407 toll road to investigate replacing the Gardiner.

The Corporation proposed a tunnel to replace the elevated section from Dufferin to Yonge Street at a cost of $1 billion. City staff pointed out that the tunnel would have to avoid several obstacles including:

1. twelve-foot diameter storm sewers just west of Fort York and under Portland Street;

2. a high voltage electrical line under Strachan Avenue;

3. a filtered water intake to the John Street pumping station;

4. a streetcar line running under lower Bay Street;

5. a streetcar loop on the north side of the Exhibition Grounds; and 6. the Don River

The proposal planned to put tolls on the new roadway to pay for the cost of building it.

In 2006, a proposal named the "Toronto Waterfront Viaduct" was created by a group of citizens, calling for the replacement of the existing elevated expressway with an 8 to 10-lane cable-stayed viaduct over the Lakeshore rail corridor. This proposal combined the freeway with a new Lakeshore light rail transit system, and lanes for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The proposed design used cantilever bridge structure to minimize disruption of the railroad. By building the replacement route on a parallel corridor, current traffic would not be disrupted.

. As of 2009, this proposal has not received much public or municipal support.

One proposal in favour of maintaining the elevated section suggested beautifying the land below the Gardiner.

Description

Communities along the Gardiner

Gardiner Expressway

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The Gardiner travels along the lakefront and pass many communities along the way. The sections from Evans Avenue to Grand Avenue is a mix of residential homes and industrial sites. Some motels/hotels and condos are found along sections east to Ellis Avenue. A parkway like setting is found east of Ellis Avenue to the CNE. The north side section from Roncesvalles to Dufferin Street is residential. From Dufferin Street to Bathurst the Expressway is flanked by industry on the north and the CNE on the south side. East of Strachan to the Yonge Street is a wall of condos and offices of both sides of the Gardiner.

East of Yonge to the eastern end is sight of disappearing industrial blight of old Toronto.

A list of communities along the Gardiner:

Studio District

Port of Toronto

Distillery District

Harbourfront

Parkdale, Toronto

High Park

New Toronto

Alderwood

Stonegate-Queensway

Long Branch, Toronto

Islington-City Centre West

Mimico

Roncesvalles, Toronto

Niagara, Toronto or Trinity Spadina

CityPlace, Toronto

St. Lawrence, Toronto

Liberty Village

West Don Lands

Swansea, Toronto Elevated Section Design

The elevated section is supported by steel-reinforced concrete columns. The roadway itself was constructed on top of concrete slabs supported by steel girders. The height of the elevated section is higher than required to cross city streets and provide clearance underneath. The intent of this was to reduce traffic noise at ground level. The highest and widest point of the elevated section is over Strachan Avenue built for a possible interchange that was never constructed.

From east of the CNE streetcar loop and just west of Strachan Avenue, the space below the elevated sections of the Expressway was enclosed for use by the City of Toronto and CNE as storage space.

Bricked sections with windows can be seen when driving along Manitoba Drive or taking the streetcar in or out of the CNE grounds.

Bridges, Underpasses and Overpasses

Evans Avenue - overpass

Browns Line - underpass

East Mall - underpass

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Wickman Road - underpass

Kipling Avenue - overpass

Islington Avenue - overpass

Royal York Road - overpass

Grand Avenue - overpass

Mimico Creek - bridge

Park Lane Road - underpass

CN tracks - underpass

Humber River (Toronto) - bridges

Windemere Avenue - underpass

Ellis Avenue - underpass

Colborne Lodge Drive - underpass

Parkside Drive - underpass

Roncesvalles Avenue - pedestrian bridge

Dowling Avenue - overpass

Lake Shore Boulevard West (westbound) - overpass

Jameson Avenue - overpass

Lake Shore Boulevard West (westbound) - overpass

Dufferin Street - bridge Former QEW segment

Subsequent to the 1998 amalgamation of the Metro municipalities into a single Toronto government, the stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way between Highway 427 and the Humber River was downloaded from the provincial Ministry of Transportation to the new City of Toronto and was redesignated as part of the Gardiner.

Due to its status as a former Ontario 400-Series Highway, and because of its more recent design (rebuilt in the late 1960s), this section was built to more recent standards than the Metro- constructed Gardiner. A system of collector and express lanes serve Kipling Avenue and Islington Avenue and this segment has a speed limit of 100 km/h rather than 90 km/h.

The former QEW was not upgraded to modern standards when it was downloaded to the city, with particular concern over the old steel guardrail median.

Portions of the guardrail was replaced by a concrete barrier in early 2007.

Portions of the former QEW had parallel service roads along the roadway:

Oxford Street - southside from east of Horner Avenue to Grand Avenue (broken sections)

Mendota Road - north side from east of Royal York Road to Grand Avenue

Queen Elizabeth Boulevard - north side from east of Islington Avenue to west of Royal York Road

Fordhouse Boulevard - north side from east of The East Mall to Wickman Road

Brockhouse Road - south side from east of The East Mall Lane configurations from east to west

Section Travel Lanes

Don Valley Parkway & Lake Shore Boulevard

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Exit list

Exits were numbered from west to east on the former Queen Elizabeth Way section.

Ramps Two lanes in each direction

Don Valley Parkway/Lake Shore Boulevard -

Parliament St Four lanes in each direction

Parliament St - Jarvis St Three lanes eastbound - Four lanes westbound Parliament St - Jarvis St Three lanes eastbound - Two lanes westbound Yonge St - Humber River Three lanes in each direction

Humber River - Park Lawn Three lanes eastbound - four lanes westbound Park Lawn - Kipling Five lanes in each direction (three express, two

collectors)

Kipling - Highway 427 Five lanes in each direction (merged)

Old

# Destinations Notes

QEW – Hamilton Westbound exit and eastbound entrance

139 Hwy 427 to Hwy 401 / Browns Line,

Sherway Gardens Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance 141 Kipling Avenue

142 Islington Avenue Signed as exits 142A (south) and 142B

(north)

144 Park Lawn Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

145 Lake Shore Boulevard Westbound exit and eastbound entrance;

former Hwy 2 west

Lake Shore Boulevard Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

South Kingsway Westbound exit and eastbound entrance

Jameson Avenue, Dunn Avenue

The Westbound Jameson on-ramp is closed daily from 3pm-6pm.

Spadina Avenue, Lake Shore Boulevard

York Street, Bay Street, Yonge Street - Toronto Island, Harbourfront

Former Hwy 11 (Yonge Street) and Hwy 11A (York Street)

Jarvis Street, Sherbourne Street - Rogers Centre

Don Valley Parkway Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

Lake Shore Boulevard Eastbound exit and westbound entrance;

former Hwy 2 east

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Traffic volume

Traffic trips per 24-hour period, for the time period of 2002–2006

:

Call boxes

Call boxes (for emergency assistance for stranded motorists) fixed to poles on the shoulders were removed along the Gardiner, as was the case on the Don Valley Parkway. In 1994, the RESCU traffic management system began operation on the Gardiner and Lake Shore Boulevard and stranded motorists became quickly detected by the CCTV cameras and operators quickly dispatch assistance.

Lighting

The Gardiner, along with the Don Valley Parkway and Allen Road, were fitted with the distinct cobra- neck 30-foot (9.1 m) poles. They were first fitted with fluorescent tubes in the 1960s, which was changed to the orange low-pressure sodium (LPS) in 1978. (A 1960s experiment of installing lights on the elevated Gardiner's parapets was quickly shelved.) In the late 1990s, the low pressure sodium lighting was failing and most of the cobra-neck conventional poles were replaced in favour of shaded high-mast lighting, with high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS); however the elevated Gardiner still retained the LPS cobra-neck poles for seven more years. The last remaining LPS lamps, which were no longer being produced, were all replaced by HPS in early 2006.

Since the end of 2003, the conventional truss lighting poles that the province installed on the QEW segment in the late 1960s have been removed west of Kipling Avenue and east of Royal York Road, being replaced with shaded high-mast lighting like that used on the Don Valley Parkway.

See also

Municipal expressways in Toronto

Allen Road

Don Valley Parkway

Direction

Location Eastbound Westbound Kipling Ave 111,971 106,559 Royal York Rd 99,461 112,393 South Kingsway 85,958 92,995

Parkside Dr 86,058 93,112

Spadina Ave 65,601 65,481

Yonge Street 45,320 57,769

Sherbourne St 50,941 41,781

DVP 36,781 33,942

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References

Duff, J. Clarence; Yates, Sarah (1985). Toronto Then & Now. Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry &

Whiteside. ISBN 0889029504.

Margison, D. A. (1954). Proposed Lakeshore Expressway for Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto: Functional Report. Margison Babcock & Associates.

Fulford, Robert (1995). "Fred Gardiner's Specialized City". Accidental City: The transformation of Toronto. Toronto, Ontario: Macfarlane Walter & Ross.

Notes

1. ^ Duff(1985), p. 119

2. ^ "Board Seeks High-Speed Arteries". The Globe and Mail: p. 4. May 21, 1947.

3. ^ "$9,000,000 Super-Highways May Go To Vote on Jan. 1". Toronto Daily Star: p. 2. November 13, 1947.

4. ^ "Toss Back $9,500,000 Plan in Lively 11-Hour Session". Toronto Daily Star: p. 3. November 25, 1947.

5. ^ "Call Inglorious Retreat As Expressway Vote Off". Toronto Daily Star: p. 2. December 20, 1947.

6. ^ "$20,000,000 Lakeshore Expressway Gets Top Metro Planning Priority". The Globe and Mail:

p. 1. July 8, 1953.

7. ^ Babcock(1954).

8. ^ "Plans Completed of Inshore Route for Expressway". The Globe and Mail: p. 30. July 14, 1954.

9. ^ "Inland Expressway Extra Cost $11,000,000". The Globe and Mail: p. 1. July 20,1954.

10. ^ "All Expressway Plans Now Ready for Sifting". The Globe and Mail: p. 11. October 2, 1954.

11. ^ "Start on 3rd Section of Expressway Urged". The Globe and Mail: p. 5. November 11, 1954.

12. ^ "Maybe Next Year". The Globe and Mail: p. 5. January 18, 1955.

13. ^ Haggart, Ronald (March 17, 1958). "Breached by Concrete". The Globe and Mail: p. 7.

14. ^ "Gardiner to Route His Expressway around Fort, Chairman Capitulates With Honor". The Globe and Mail: p. 29. March 27, 1958.

15. ^ "Frederick G. Gardiner $13,000,000 Super-Highway Opened Today By Premier Frost.". The Globe and Mail.

16. ^

"Gardiner Expressway: Dreams and milestones ; Quick facts". Toronto Daily Star: p. B4.

May 6, 2000.

17. ^ Papoe, Bob (November 15, 1989). "Advertising blossoms along Gardiner embankment".

Toronto Star: p. C1.

18. ^ Byers, John. "Tonks urged to improve Metro roads". Toronto Star: p. F8.

19. ^ Turnbull, Barbara (May 22, 1998). "Hump gets bumped". Toronto Star: p. 1.

20. ^ Power, Kathleen (September 28, 2006). "20 years of studying the Gardiner". Toronto Star:

p. A6.

21. ^ Walls, Janice (December 19, 2000). "Demolition of Gardiner Expressway East under way".

Daily Commercial News and Construction Record 73 (245): p. A1.

22. ^ "Transforming the Gardiner/Lakeshore

Corridor" (http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs//48517e6c69030.pdf).

WATERFRONToronto. May 31, 2008. 5.

http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs//48517e6c69030.pdf.

23. ^ Fulford(1995)

24. ^

"Proposal to "Bury" the F.G. Gardiner Expressway Below Grade Between Dufferin Street and the Don River: Concept Review"

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(http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/1999/minutes/committees/ud/ud990208.htm). City of Toronto.

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/1999/minutes/committees/ud/ud990208.htm. Retrieved on 2009- 03-17.

25. ^ "Waterfront Revitalization

Chronology" (http://www.toronto.ca/waterfront/chronology_new.htm). City of Toronto.

http://www.toronto.ca/waterfront/chronology_new.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-10.

26. ^

Nickle, David (September 28, 2006). "City releases its plans for the Gardiner". The Villager: p. 1.

27. ^ Lu, Vanessa (September 29, 2006). Toronto Star: p. B3.

28. ^

Hanes, Allison (May 31, 2008). "Miller urges city to dismantle part of Gardiner;

Easternmost Section; 'This proposal is a balancing of what's possible'". National Post: p. A16.

29. ^ "Waterfront Toronto to proceed with environmental assessment of partial removal of Gardiner Expressway". Canada NewsWire. July 15, 2008.

30. ^ "Gardiner Environmental Assessment and Integrated Urban Design

Study" (http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dynamic.php?first=442ee40e416d7). Waterfront

Toronto. http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dynamic.php?first=442ee40e416d7. Retrieved on 2009- 04-08.

31. ^ Barber, John (July 19, 1996). "Private consortium eyes upgrade of Gardiner Widening, shift to toll road possible for Toronto's waterfront expressway". Toronto Star: p. A1.

32. ^ "Toronto Waterfront Viaduct" (http://www.toviaduct.com/). 2006. http://www.toviaduct.com.

Retrieved on 2009-03-17.

33. ^ "Gardiner in desperate need of repair:

engineer" (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2006/04/10/ot-gardiner20060410.html). CBC News. 2006-04-10. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2006/04/10/ot-

gardiner20060410.html.

34. ^ City of Toronto. "Average Weekday , 24 Hour Traffic

Volume" (http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/publications/brochures/2006volmap.pdf) (PDF).

http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/publications/brochures/2006volmap.pdf.

External links

Gardiner EA study and 'e-consultation' web site (http://www.gardinerconsultation.ca/)

Photos of the Gardiner East demolition (http://www.toronto.ca/archives/gardiner/) from the City of Toronto Archives (http://www.toronto.ca/archives/)

www.toviaduct.com - The Toronto Waterfront Viaduct proposal to replace the Gardiner Expressway. (http://www.toviaduct.com/)

Missing Links, A Complete History Of Toronto's Controversial Expressway System (http://www.gettorontomoving.ca/missinglinks22.html)

City of Toronto RESCU Traffic Cameras (http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/rescu/index.htm) (also includes traffic cameras for the Don Valley Parkway and Lake Shore Boulevard)

Technical Briefing report of the future of the Gardiner Expressway by (http://www.towaterfront.ca/dbdocs/451ad1fc5015e.pdf) TWRC (http://www.towaterfront.ca/index.php), Simplified Version (http://www.towaterfront.ca/dbdocs//451addb2a3158.pdf)

Google Maps of Gardiner Expressway (http://maps.google.ca/maps?

f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=QEW+%

26+Gardiner+Expy,+Etobicoke,+Toronto,+Ontario+M8W,+Canada&daddr=Lake+Shore+Blvd+E+%

26+Gardiner+Expy+Toronto,+ON&mrcr=0&mra=pe&sll=43.631602,- 79.447632&sspn=0.104367,0.233459&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1)

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardiner_Expressway"

Categories: Toronto highways

This page was last modified on 24 April 2009, at 21:33 (UTC).

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)

Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c) (3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

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March 2009 Newsletter

EA and Urban Design Study Begins on the Future of the Eastern Gardiner A multi-year environmental assessment and integrated urban design study has begun

to decide the future of the Gardiner Expressway from Jarvis Street to east of the Don Valley Parkway.

The comprehensive environmental assessment, co-sponsored by Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto, will examine the feasibility, impacts and costs of potential options for the easternmost stretch of the elevated roadway. While Waterfront Toronto has advocated for the removal of the Gardiner, the study will examine several alternatives, including removal, replacement, enhancement, and maintaining the status quo.

The first step in the environmental assessment and integrated urban design study process is to develop the terms of reference for the scope of the study. Public suggestions, comments and concerns will be solicited throughout the process. Public

meetings will be held in locations across the city and a dedicated consultation website www.gardinerconsultation.ca has been built to enable online public involvement and input.

The draft terms of reference are expected to be submitted for approval to City Council in July and to the Ontario Minister of the Environment in September. Upon approval of the terms of reference, the environmental assessment and integrated urban design study will commence with the development and evaluation of alternatives.

Public Forum #1 will be held at the following locations:

Saturday, March 28

Trident Banquet Hall and Conference Centre 145 Evans Avenue, Etobicoke

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Open House) 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Presentation)

Monday, March 30

Scarborough Civic Centre - Rotunda 150 Borough Drive, Scarborough 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Open House) 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Presentation)

Thursday, April 2

Harbourfront Community Centre – Gymnasium 627 Queens Quay West, Toronto

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Open House) 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Presentation)

Saturday, April 4

North York Memorial Hall - Burgundy Room 5110 Yonge Street, North York

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Open House) 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Presentation)

Online public involvement: www.gardinerconsultation.ca

Technically Recommended Alternative for Revitalizing Queens Quay Boulevard Unveiled After comprehensive study, Waterfront Toronto is recommending that remaking

Queens Quay into a grand lakefront boulevard featuring streetcar lanes in the centre, with traffic on the north side and a pedestrian space on the south side is the preferred option, for transforming the waterfront’s main road.

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Determined through an environmental assessment process, the technically recommended alternative for Queens Quay includes two options for the traffic lanes, one which would have two-way traffic and the other one-way traffic. While Waterfront Toronto has a slight preference for the two-way option at this time, further analysis and public input are required before a final option is presented to City Council.

The EA process, which has been ongoing for the past two years, has included the examination of several alternative planning solutions for Queens Quay. The recommended alternative provides the greatest opportunity for creating a world- class waterfront street.

Queens Quay Blvd. has also been the subject of a second EA which is looking at the transit infrastructure required to service the new East Bayfront community. These EAs were joined together at a recent public meeting. For more information, please click here.

Both EAs are ongoing and public input is still being sought. Waterfront Toronto is holding a Drop-in Centre where plans of the recommended preferred alternatives for the Queens Quay Revitalization EA & East Bayfront Transit EA will be on display and team members will be available for one-on-one discussions.

The recommended plan incorporating the preferred alternatives will be identified after we have taken into account public and stakeholder input. The plan will be submitted to City Council for approval in July.

Drop-In Centre Saturday, March 28 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Harbourfront Centre, York Quay Centre, Lakeside Terrace 235 Queens Quay West

Lake Ontario Park Plan and the Spadina Wavedeck Win Prestigious Design Awards Waterfront Toronto’s Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park and the Spadina WaveDeck have

received two National Awards from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA). The Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park was awarded the CSLA’s highest prize, a National Honour Award and the Spadina WaveDeck earned a National Merit Award.

The CSLA Professional Awards Programme recognizes and promotes excellence in all aspects of landscape design. This year’s competition included 56 projects in seven categories.

Designed by award-winning landscape architecture firm Field Operations, the Master

Plan for Lake Ontario Park presents a bold vision for transforming 375 hectares of Toronto’s waterfront into an urban wilderness and recreational park.

The proposed park would assemble a series of underutilized industrial sites, existing parks and regionally important ecological areas into one of the most significant and exciting open space urban projects in Canada.

The Spadina WaveDeck opened in September 2008 and is the first in a series of spectacular new public spaces being built along Toronto’s central waterfront. Designed by West 8 of Rotterdam and Toronto’s du Toit Allsopp Hillier, the new wavedeck is a gateway to the lakefront at a site that previously lacked public access. This summer, wavedecks will open at Rees and Simcoe Streets.

LEED for Neighbourhood Development Pilot Project

Waterfront Toronto has recently submitted a Stage 1 certification package to the U.S. Green Building Council for its LEED for Neighbourhood Development (LEED ND) program. This program focuses on sustainable development from a comprehensive, neighbourhood-wide perspective rather than on a building-by-building basis.

Stage 1 certification is an optional pre-review stage that is available for projects at any point before the development approvals process begins. Once this stage is achieved, the U.S. Green Building Council will issue a letter stating that if the project is built as proposed, it will be able to achieve LEED ND certification. Waterfront Toronto expects to receive this letter in May 2009. Waterfront Toronto is working to achieve gold certification for its waterfront communities in East Bayfront and the West Don Lands.

Port Union Waterfront Park

Port Union Waterfront Park will now create a western-gateway into the City of Pickering from the City of Toronto with the addition of an eastern trail initiative named “First Nations Trail”. Waterfront Toronto’s Board of Directors recently approved a joint proposal from the City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) requesting an amendment to the park to include this project. This initiative enhances the connectivity of the waterfront trail system and helps showcase Waterfront Toronto’s commitment to creating accessible and vibrant public spaces. Construction will begin on the First Nations Trail later this year.

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